EXIT... STAGE LEFT

This is one of the few live albums that is worthy of five stars. Not to say that it's completely replacable for the recorded material (which should be purchased as well) but as far as live albums go, this is one of the best I've ever listened to. This album also has Rush's greatest performance on any release to date, which is their live rendition of 'La Villa Strangiato' which closes off the concert. There's a vivance about the live performance that was lacking in the recorded 'Hemispheres' version, but comes full force when played in front of an audience. In particular, the Lifeson solo is one of the greatest guitar solos I've ever heard.

As far as song choice goes, theres a great selection of their Progressive-era material. The only two songs I'm not in love with are 'Closer To The Heart' and 'Beneath, Between and Behind' which are skillful in their own right. Rush is careful to include some of their most popular prog-era work, including the epic 'Xanadu,' the technical rocker 'YYZ' and even some of their more well known songs, such as 'Tom Sawyer' and 'The Spirit Of Radio.'

Having a live audience really seems to make Rush pull out all the stops in their craft. Having been fortunate enough to see Rush live in person, I can testify that this live album captures the magic of what it's really like to go see the band on stage.

A great release, and one of the best live albums out there.

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